One of things I work a lot on with my clients is figuring out what they are thinking when they overeat – what is driving them to do it.

This is a process. It can take some time to be able to really begin to understand what the real underlying drive is. But when they figure it out, it leaves them with so much clarity and is so empowering.

It’s not the answer to the problem and doesn’t always stop the overeating once you understand it, but it is a big step in helping.

That’s why I always say to STAY CURIOUS!

Keep asking yourself what is going on when you feel that pull to the kitchen (or your favorite junk food, etc.). What is triggering this episode?

I know that when I really started to get curious and real with what I was thinking and feeling, I had some real insight into what I was really wanting and searching for and instead of getting that need met in a way that – well, got that need met – I would overeat.

For example: I would use food as a procrastination technique when I didn’t want to do something or felt incompetent.  When I was starting a new project and felt overwhelmed with all that I needed to do and wasn’t sure where to start, or had to do a task that I was tedious and didn’t like, I would find myself in the kitchen. These were huge triggers for me.

When I realized this, it was really helpful as it allowed me to be more present with replacing the drive to overeat with something else – even if it was just setting the timer and committing to working on the task for 30 minutes. Usually that really helped and I would get involved in the task and just keep working.

I would also feel a sense of accomplishment which would boost the ‘feel good’ feelings that I had been trying to use food to create.

BUT – something happened when I began to truly activate joy in my life by tapping into my talents and true purpose.

EVERYTHING shifted.

It was like the sun came out and the things that would previously feel heavy, tedious and overwhelming suddenly became much more easy to manage because I was EXCITED about WHY I was doing it.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my work and have always done so but it’s been an evolution over the past 16 yrs. It’s taken a long time to finally put it all together and hit that sweet spot of what I REALLY am here to do and how everything fits together.

This is why activating JOY is soooooo important in this process of healing our relationship with food.

We use food to stimulate pleasure when what we are really wanting is to live with more JOY in our lives – everyday.

This transformed my work and MY relationship with food.  It was the last piece of the puzzle. I felt like I was living my purpose and that PULLED me and gave me a lot of joy.

So – what brings you joy?  How is joy showing up in your life?  Are you re-activating your divinely inspired joy?

There are a myriad of ways that I work with my clients to activate their joy but I usually start with gratitude.

More on that next time…